The Laura Ingalls Wilder sites were definitely tops on my bucket list, but we were limited on time, and they were so spread out! (Pa & Ma Ingalls, you were rock stars!) Because of this, we only planned to breeze by DeSmet before moving on. However, the Ingalls Homestead was AMAZING! It was exactly as Laura described in her books, and it included Big Slough and Silver Lake. So, we decided to stay for a bit. There were wagon “tents” to stay in as well as a spattering of RV sites. Come to find out, it wasn’t actually open for the season yet, but the proprietor was there. Not only did she allow us to look around; she also gave us advice on our itinerary (more on that later) and when she saw the Behemoth, she said, “If you have your own water and electric (we did), you are welcome to stay the night for $10.” WHAT? Did she just say that we could stay on the very prairie where Laura lived? And for a mere ten dollars? Yes, please! So we wandered around the homestead, enjoying the wild kittens and other fun prairie chore things that were available there.
The Ingalls’ church
Water pump 
Washing Day!
Water pump
That evening was WINDY! In fact, it was so windy that Creed, who was on the top bunk, opted to get down in the middle of the night and sleep on the couch!
